The Fox, the Cat and the Panda
by Toshima
Summary: At the age of 5, Naruto meets another member of the Uzumaki clan who trains him in the arts of his clan. As he strives to complete his dreams, he meets new allies and enemies along the way who will help shape his future. OP/Swordsman/Sealmaster Naruto. Eventual ANBU Naruto. NarutoXTentenXYugao. Future lemons.
1. Changes

A/N: This is story was just a random idea that popped into my head the other day that I felt like trying out. There will be some minor X-over elements, but nothing of major significance to the plot. Naruto will also be pretty OOC in the beginning, but will open up more as the story progresses.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Chapter 1: Changes

The Konoha academy was filled with excitement as today was the day many aspiring shinobi had been waiting for; the day of team placements. The most recent crop of students who had passed their genin exams were all gathered in a classroom as they awaited the arrival of their teacher who would tell them the teams that they would be assigned to for the foreseeable future as shinobi of Konoha. Many of the children were busy animatedly chatting with their friends wondering who they would be teamed up with or the kinds of missions they would be going on in the near future and failed to notice the man that had entered the room.

"Settle down everyone," commanded a man with tan skin, brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and a scar running across the bridge of his nose who was currently garbed in the standard outfit for shinobi of Konoha. This was Iruka Umino; a chuunin of Konoha and instructor for the academy.

"I SAID SETTLE DOWN!" Iruka shouted making the previously rambunctious students go silent and take their seats to avoid the ire of their teacher.

"That's better," the man smiled once he had their undivided attention. "Now before I begin announcing the teams, I just want to say that I'm proud of all of you and congratulations on becoming genin." making most of the children smile at the man's heartfelt words.

"Now then; team 1 will be…"

[Skipping teams 1-6]

"Team 7 under jounin Kakashi Hatake will be Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno," the scarred chuunin began earning a groan from the raven-haired boy named Sasuke and a shout of joy from the pink-haired girl known as Sakura. "And Naruto Uzumaki," he finished earning groans from both of the preteens at the knowledge that their last teammate was the supposed "dead last" of their class.

As if in response to his name being called, the door slid open to reveal a boy with blond hair and deep blue eyes; which were the only recognizable features to be seen due to the cloth facemask that concealed him from his neck to the bridge of his nose while his forehead was covered by his headband. The main reason the majority of the room was staring at the young boy in a mixture of surprise and confusion however was not due to his arrival, since he too had passed the exam like the rest of them, but at his apparent change in wardrobe.

Instead of the usual hideous orange jumpsuit the boy was known for, he was currently wearing a durable mesh shirt over a long-sleeved black shirt; over which was a harness of sorts that consisted of a pair of leather straps crisscrossing over his chest and held numerous scrolls in place like a bandolier. Over all of this was a black long-sleeved flak jacket that was left open in the front. His legs were covered in a pair of baggy black cargo pants with several pockets, black combat boots and kunai holsters strapped to each thigh.

The most notable change however was the pair of blades strapped to his left hip. While one appeared to be an ordinary tanto with a dark blue tsuka and an ordinary brass guard, it was the katana beside it that really drew attention. While the blade was hidden by a black sheath, the guard was clearly visible and was a golden circle with a spiral pattern similar to the one worn on Konoha's flak vests. The tsuka was the truly interesting part however as just past the guard was a large red orb embedded into a circle with the rest being somewhat reminiscent of a kunai in shape with a red cord hanging from the loop and the handle being covered in what looked like scales.

"Naruto? Is that really you?" Iruka asked skeptically as he looked at the boy who raised an eyebrow in response.

"Who else would I be?" the blond asked rhetorically as he made his way into the room. Getting a closer look, Iruka noted that Naruto's hands were covered by black gloves with metal plates on the back that had a seal of some sort etched into them.

"Oi, what's with the outfit loser; you tryin to look cool or something?" a feral looking boy named Kiba Inuzuka asked mockingly as he smirked at his blond classmate. Naruto spared the boy a glance out of the corner of his eye, but otherwise ignored him as he made his way to an empty seat in the back.

"Getting back to the teams," Iruka said regaining the class's attention after Naruto had taken his seat. "Team 8 under jounin Kurenai Yuuhi will consist of Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuuga and Shino Aburame."

"Team 9 is still active, so Team 10 will be Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi; your jounin sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi," Iruka finished making Ino groan about who her teammates were.

"There will be an hour break for lunch before the jounin arrive to pick you up; dismissed," Iruka said causing the students to disperse to fill their stomachs.

"You guys wanna get some lunch?" Naruto asked his new teammates startling the pink-haired girl who hadn't heard him approach.

"Ugh, I don't want to go on a date with you, Naruto; get it through your thick skull!" Sakura yelled.

"I never said anything about a date…" Naruto blinked in confusion at the girl's misinterpretation of his question. "Trust me; I have no intention whatsoever of going out with you." Sasuke raised his eyebrows in surprise at the statement while Sakura rolled her eyes with a huff.

"You're not fooling anyone; quit trying to act cool," the girl continued making Naruto shake his head.

"What about you, Sasuke; you in?" Sasuke opened his mouth to decline the offer, but closed it with a thoughtful expression before standing up.

"Sure, why not?" the raven-haired boy asked rhetorically as he made to follow his blond teammate.

"…" Sakura was gaping like a fish as she looked between the two boys in confusion and disbelief as she watched them make their way out of the room. "What the hell is going on?!"

* * *

[15 Minutes Later]

The unlikely duo had made their way to a small restaurant not too far from the academy and were silently eating their meals when Sasuke decided to get some answers.

"So what's the deal?" Sasuke asked before taking another bite of his salad.

"Can you be more specific?" Naruto asked as he continued to eat his sashimi, having slid his facemask down to his neck to eat; the fact he hadn't ordered ramen was another surprise.

"I mean what's with the outfit?" Sasuke elaborated making Naruto set down his chopsticks.

"Is it really that surprising that I would wear something that didn't make it so that an enemy could see me from a mile away?"

"Pretty much," Sasuke smirked earning a roll of the eyes in return. "And what about the attitude change; what happened to the obnoxious, loudmouth moron?"

"Deception is a shinobi's greatest weapon," Naruto answered with a smirk of his own making the Uchiha stop to think about it.

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that you being a complete idiot for the last six years was an act?" Sasuke asked with narrowed eyes.

"You can believe whatever you want," Naruto shrugged before pulling his mask back up and placing money on the table having finished his meal. "I'll see you back at the academy," Naruto said before vanishing in a swirl of leaves. Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise at the boy's use of shunshin before he placed money for his own meal on the table and walked out of the restaurant.

Once he had arrived back at the academy, Naruto found himself to be the first to return and decided to take a nap while he waited. Sitting down at the first desk that he came to, Naruto crossed his arms over the desk and used them as a pillow; it wasn't long before he was fast asleep.

* * *

[2 Hours Later]

"Where the hell is he?!" Sakura yelled causing Naruto to lift his head with half-lidded eyes having been awoken by the loud noise. Looking around, he found that he and his teammates were the only ones left in the room.

"What'd I miss?" Naruto asked with a yawn making both of his teammates glare at him for being so relaxed while they were ready to strangle somebody in frustration.

"While you were over there sleeping, we've been sitting here waiting for our stupid sensei to show up," Sakura growled. Thankfully their wait was put to an end as the door slid open to reveal a tall man with silver hair wearing the standard shinobi uniform, a facemask similar to Naruto's and his headband slanted over his head in a way that concealed his left eye.

"Meet me on the roof in five minutes," the man said before disappearing in a puff of smoke before being followed by Naruto who similarly vanished in a swirl of leaves. While Sakura was staring at the blond's previous position with wide eyes, Sasuke who had seen him do the same thing earlier said nothing as he made his way out of the room. Shaking her head to clear her confusion, Sakura quickly stood and ran after Sasuke.

"Wait up, Sasuke-kun!"

* * *

[On the Rooftop]

"It's been a while, Kakashi-nii," Naruto said with a hidden smile as he leaned against the railing across from the silver-haired jounin who was currently reading from a little orange book.

"Indeed it has," Kakashi smiled similarly as he closed his book and put it in his hip pouch. "I hope you've kept up with your training."

"You wound me with your lack of faith," Naruto feigned a hurt expression making the older man shake his head with an amused chuckle at the boy's antics. Hearing the approaching footsteps both masked men went silent before the door opened to reveal Sasuke being followed closely by Sakura.

"Now that we're all here, why don't we start by introducing ourselves?" Kakashi suggested.

"Can you go first, sensei?" Sakura asked making Kakashi shrug indifferently.

"Sure why not. My name is Kakashi Hatake; I have plenty of likes and a few dislikes. I also have several hobbies and I don't feel like telling you my dreams," Kakashi introduced himself earning sweatdrops from his two students who were seated in front of him and an amused huff from the blond who was still leaning against the railing. "You're up, pinkie."

"My name is Sakura Haruno. I like; I mean the person I like is," the girl started before looking away and blushing. "I don't like Naruto-baka or Ino-pig! My hobby is reading and my dream…" she trailed off as she looked at Sasuke and squealed.

"How about you, Blondie?" Kakashi asked looking at Naruto.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki; I don't feel like listing my likes or dislikes. My hobbies are training and coming up with ideas for new seals. My dream is to restore the Uzumaki clan and one other thing," Naruto said surprising his teammates that he was apparently part of a clan.

"You have a clan?" Sakura asked making Naruto shake his head.

" **Had** a clan; past tense," Naruto corrected and refused to elaborate further.

"Your turn, princess," Kakashi motioned to Sasuke who glared at him for the derogatory nickname.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha; I don't have very many likes and several dislikes. My hobby is training and my dream, no, my ambition is to restore my clan and kill a certain man."

'Sasuke-kun is so cool!' Sakura squealed internally as she looked at her crush with hearts in her eyes.

"Now that that's out of the way, I'll see you tomorrow morning at training ground 3 at 8:00 for survival training.

"But we already did survival training in the academy Kakashi-sensei," Sakura frowned making Kakashi laugh.

"Well, this is a bit different; this will determine whether or not you actually become genin," Kakashi explained.

"But we already passed our genin exams!" Sakura protested.

"Pfft, those are just to weed out the ones who have no chance whatsoever of becoming genin; did you really thing those tests were enough to prove your worth as a shinobi?" Kakashi asked rhetorically.

"So what do we have to do?"

"I'll explain that in the morning," Kakashi said as he turned to leave before stopping mid-step. "Oh, and I wouldn't advise eating breakfast; you'll just throw up," he advised before vanishing in another puff of smoke.

"See you guys in the morning," Naruto waved before once again vanishing in a leaf shunshin.

"How does he keep doing that?" Sakura asked her teammate.

"Hn," was Sasuke's eloquent response as he made his way to the stairs leading back into the academy. As he made his way home, the raven-haired boy had a multitude of questions whirling around his head; the majority of which revolving around his blond teammate-to-be.

* * *

[The Next Morning at 10:00]

"You're late!" Sakura yelled as Naruto casually made his way to the training ground two hours late.

"Sorry, I was having breakfast and lost track of time," Naruto apologized insincerely.

"But Kakashi-sensei told us not to eat."

"No, he **advised** us not to eat; it wasn't an order. I assume neither of you ate anything?" The sound of two grumbling stomachs was all the answer he needed as he took one of his scrolls from his harness and opened it before releasing a couple of field rations from the storage seal and tossed them to his teammates. Returning the scroll to its place on his harness, Naruto moved to sit next to his teammates to wait for their sensei. Sasuke wasted no time in opening the tasteless bar meant to be a meal substitute and taking a bite while Sakura was staring at the so-called "food" in disgust.

"I'd follow Sasuke's lead if I were you; odds are you're gonna need the energy for whatever Kakashi-sensei has planned," Naruto told the pinkette as he leaned back so that he was lying down with his hands clasped beneath his head.

"I'll pass," the girl said before throwing the field ration back to Naruto who easily caught it and put it in one of his pockets as he continued to watch the clouds.

"Your loss," he responded with a shrug. Once Sasuke finished eating, Naruto stood up just before Kakashi appeared in a leaf shunshin.

"You're late!" Sakura yelled once again.

"Sorry, I got lost on the road of life," Kakashi apologized earning deadpan stares from Sasuke and Sakura.

"So what do we have to do, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked to get the ball rolling.

"You have to get one of these," Kakashi answered as he held up two bells.

"But sensei, there's only two bells," Sakura frowned.

"That's correct; no matter what, at least one of you will be going back to the academy."

That's not fair!" Sakura shouted while Sasuke narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth.

"Life isn't fair," Kakashi answered casually with a shrug. "You have until noon to get a bell or you fail." Kakashi placed an alarm clock on a nearby stump before attaching the bells at his waist.

"Begin!" With that, Sasuke and Sakura dove into the foliage and tried to conceal themselves as well as they could. Seeing that Naruto was still standing there, Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow.

"Not gonna hide like the others?" Naruto shrugged before making three shadow clones who proceeded to rush at Kakashi. Two of the clones drew kunai in a reverse grip while the other stood nearby and watched as the others attempted to face the jounin head-on. Seeing Kakashi reach into his hip pouch, the two clones halted in their steps as he pulled out…a book.

"Really? Naruto asked rhetorically while he and his clones all wore deadpan expressions. Kakashi shrugged as he turned a page and continued reading. Naruto shook his head before the two clones resumed their assault on the cycloptic jounin.

Stepping to the side to avoid one clone's attack, he used the metal plate on the back of his glove to parry the other clone's blade before delivering a kick to its chest causing it to dispel. Ducking below another swipe of the first clone's kunai, Kakashi brought his leg back around to sweep his legs out from under him before delivering a palm thrust to the airborne clone's solar plexus and dispelling it. Drawing a kunai in his free hand, Kakashi tossed it at the remaining clone who tilted his head to the side to avoid the blade that was aimed for his face.

"That wasn't very nice," the remaining clone commented before rushing in and ducking the roundhouse kick aimed for his head. From his crouched position, the clone gripped his tanto before unsheathing it with a flash of steel and returned it to its sheath faster than most would be able to follow; the only evidence the blade had left its sheath at all was the shallow cut that had appeared on Kakashi's flak vest.

"Hmm, battoujutsu; impressive," Kakashi nodded as he closed his book and replaced it in his pouch. "If you had drawn your katana instead I might not have dodged in time."

* * *

[With Sasuke and Sakura]

"What just happened; I didn't even see him move," Sakura stared wide-eyed while Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the blond clone.

'I barely even caught a glimpse of the blade before it was back in its sheath' Sasuke thought as he realized that the supposed "dead last" had apparently hidden more from them than he thought.

* * *

[Back with Kakashi and Naruto]

"Got any more surprises up your sleeves?" Kakashi asked not really expecting an answer; however, the smirk on Naruto's face he received in response was not very comforting. Dispelling his clone, Naruto pressed his middle finger to his thumb. The following "SNAP!" that echoed through the air was Kakashi's only warning as the spot he was standing was engulfed in an explosion of flames.

'Well that was new' Kakashi mused as he brushed his sleeve that had been slightly singed before he could completely dodge the explosion. Once the smoke cleared, Naruto was nowhere in sight having taken the opportunity to join his teammates in hiding.

* * *

[With Sasuke and Sakura]

"What the hell was that?!" Sakura exclaimed in a subdued voice to not give away their position.

"Just a little trick I came up with," Naruto unexpectedly answered from behind startling the pink-haired preteen.

"How the hell did you do that?"

"Fuck you, that's how," Naruto answered with a smirk making Sakura's eyebrow twitch in irritation while she grit her teeth. Sasuke couldn't hold back the amused smirk that crossed his face. "Putting that aside, I think we should work together to take him down."

"What makes you think I need your help?" Sasuke snorted.

"If you think you can do better, be my guest," Naruto retorted making Sasuke narrow his eyes before turning away with a huff.

"Right, so here's the plan."

* * *

[With Kakashi]

Kakashi was still standing in the middle of the training ground reading his book and waiting for his potential students to make their next move. His wait was put to an end when he suddenly had two large fireballs coming at him from both sides making him jump back to avoid them. His escape was apparently predicted as he noticed a kunai flying at him, but was easily avoided as he jumped over the projectile. He was surprised however when the kunai suddenly transformed into Sakura who attempted to snatch the bells, but barely brushed them with her fingertips as Kakashi spun to the side.

"Nice try," Kakashi noted just before the alarm went off signaling time was up.

"Dammit," Sakura grumbled. "I thought we had it."

"I only have one thing to say to all of you…" Kakashi trailed off with a dramatic pause to build suspense. "You pass!" The three genin blinked owlishly for a moment before the words finally sank in.

"We did it!" Sakura cheered loudly while Sasuke and Naruto smirked. Kakashi went on to explain the true purpose behind the exercise was to test their teamwork.

"Starting tomorrow, we'll take our first official mission as Team 7. Meet back here at 8:00; and congratulations." Kakashi instructed before dismissing the preteens. Sasuke and Sakura wasted no time in leaving the clearing with the pinkette pestering Sasuke for a date.

"That new trick of yours was impressive," Kakashi told Naruto once the other genin were out of sight.

"Thanks; it took me a long time to get it right," Naruto smiled as he held up his gloved hand to show Kakashi the intricate seal etched into it.

"That's quite the complex seal; is that what made that explosion?" Kakashi asked making Naruto shake his head.

"Not exactly; it's mostly pure elemental manipulation," Naruto explained before snapping his fingers again and causing another explosion. "The glove itself is actually made of something called 'ignition cloth' which creates the initial spark when I snap my fingers. From there, I use wind chakra to raise the oxygen density around my target to make it volatile while creating a sort of 'tunnel' for the spark to travel through and ignite the area in a flash fire; all without using a single handsign and minimal chakra."

"I'm proud of you," Kakashi smiled as he ruffled the younger blond's hair.

"Thanks, Kakashi-nii," Naruto smiled before his expression turned somber. "Do you think Shinta-oji would be proud?"

"I guarantee that if he were here, Shinta would be very proud of you Naruto," Kakashi assured Naruto as he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He never doubted that you would grow to be an incredible ninja."

Naruto smiled softly at his older brother-figure's words as he reminisced about the man he had viewed as an uncle that taught him almost everything he knows.

* * *

[Approximately 7 Years Ago]

A 5-year-old Naruto could be seen wandering aimlessly through a forested area on the outskirts of Konoha. He had just been kicked out of the orphanage and had no idea where else to go. Figuring that he might be able to find some sort of shelter amongst the large trees, Naruto had made his way deep into the forest. What he found instead though was a middle-aged man with dark red hair tied back in a high ponytail sleeping against a tree with a sword at his side. The man was wearing a simple dark blue kimono with matching hakama.

"Are you okay, mister?" Naruto asked as he approached the man whose eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice.

"What are you doing all the way out here, kid?" the man asked as he picked up his sword and stood to his feet.

"I got kicked out of the orphanage so I was looking for a place to sleep," Naruto frowned as he stared at his feet. The red-haired swordsman narrowed his eyes at that explanation wondering what kind of orphanage would kick out someone so young.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Naruto Uzumaki; future hokage!" Naruto declared proudly making the man's eyes widen briefly.

"Nice to meet you, Naruto; my name is Shinta Uzumaki," the red-haired man said making Naruto look at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Are we related?"

"Not directly, but we do belong to the same clan," Shinta explained.

"I've never heard of there being an Uzumaki clan before; the old man told me it was just a name he gave me," Naruto frowned realizing he had been lied to.

"We **were** a very prominent clan at one point; unfortunately, you and I very well may be the last of our clan," Shinta informed his young clansman as he went on to explain the history of their clan. He told Naruto how the Uzumaki were primarily known for being the greatest fuinjutsu masters in all of the elemental nations, but were also incredibly skilled swordsmen who were feared by many for their swordsmanship; he even explained their eventual downfall at the beginning of the second shinobi world war.

"So we're the only ones left," Naruto whispered with tears in his eyes.

"Cheer up, kid; there might still be others out there."

"Okay," Naruto sniffled as he rubbed his eyes. "Thanks, Shinta-oji."

"Oji, huh?" The redhead raised an eyebrow at being addressed as an uncle, but let it slide.

"Um, is that okay?" Naruto asked worriedly hoping he didn't upset what might be the only family he has.

"Relax, kid; it's fine," Shinta answered assuring the blond that it was okay. "So tell me, have you started the academy yet?"

"Not until next year."

"Have you unlocked your chakra yet?" the redhead asked making Naruto look at him in confusion.

"What's that?" Shinta sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose before motioning for Naruto to follow him. A short while later, the two of them arrived at a small wooden hut that had little more than a bedroll inside with a fire pit in front of it.

"Have a seat," Shinta advised as he motioned to the log in front of the fire pit used as an improvised seat. Doing as instructed, Naruto took a seat on the log shortly followed by Shinta who used a small fireball to set the collection of wood in the fire pit aflame. "Tell me everything you know about being a shinobi."

From there, Naruto went on to describe his disturbingly minimal knowledge of the life he had chosen; which his lack of information shouldn't have been surprising given the fact that he didn't even know what chakra was.

"Are you sure that you really want to be a shinobi, Naruto? It's not the glamorous lifestyle you imagine it to be; you will be forced to lie, cheat, steal and kill 'for the sake of the village'," the redhead explained making Naruto frown.

"If that's what I have to do to achieve my dreams then so be it!" Naruto answered with a determined expression. Shinta gave the boy an appraising glance as if sizing him up before giving an approving nod.

"Very well then," the older man said making sure the boy was paying attention. "If you're so set on this path, then I shall teach you all that you need to know."

"Really?!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. Seeing the affirmative nod, he tackled the redhead in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"We'll see how long that enthusiasm lasts," Shinta said with a menacing grin that sent shivers down Naruto's spine. "Tomorrow, your training begins."

* * *

A/N: For the record, Naruto's sword is a sort of combination between the dragon sword from the game Naruto Shippūden: Dragon Blade Chronicles, which I have not played, and the Dakki from Inuyasha with a little bit of improvisation tossed in.

Also, kudos to those of you who know who Shinta is.

The next chapter will cover most of Naruto's training under Shinta before resuming the story after the formation of Team 7.

Thanks for reading.


	2. Training

A/N: Here's the next chapter; please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Chapter 2: Training

An 8-year-old Naruto could be seen panting heavily as he leaned against a tree with a tanto held limply in his calloused right hand. The surrounding trees were littered with numerous cuts of various length and depth, some of which having been cut clean through, showing someone had been relentlessly assaulting them with a blade.

"Did I say you could stop?" a deep voice called out making the young blond groan as he stumbled back to his feet.

"You're a sadistic bastard," Naruto responded as he glared at his red-haired sensei who was sitting by the fire casually sipping from his tea cup.

"Enough whining, get back to practicing your kata; unless you'd rather have another **spar** ," Shinta said ominously as he reached for his katana. Naruto's eyes flew wide in fear as he immediately went back performing the kata that had been repeatedly drilled into his head by the slave-driving demon of a sensei.

Over the last three years, Shinta had run Naruto into the ground with his training and was pleasantly surprised by the results the boy had shown. About six months into Naruto's training, which had been mostly physical conditioning up to that point, Shinta had taught him the "shadow clone jutsu". Once Naruto was set to start the academy, the blond was instructed to send a shadow clone in his stead on days that there was not taijutsu practice while the original and several other clones resumed their training.

While he had been taught some chakra control exercises, taijutsu and some low-level ninjutsu, the majority of Naruto's training was put into kenjutsu and fuinjutsu which the boy had taken to like a fish to water. The boy was far from being a master, especially by Uzumaki standards, his progression for his age was nothing short of amazing.

"That's enough for now, Naruto," Shinta said as he stood up. Naruto felt like he was going to collapse as his arms hung limply at his side. "Give me twenty laps around the clearing and do your cool-down exercises then we'll break for lunch; I'm gonna go catch us some fish."

"Okay, oji," Naruto answered as he sheathed his tanto and began jogging around the clearing at a brisk pace. Shinta nodded in approval as he made his way out of the clearing toward a small stream that was nearby.

"You can come out now," the redhead called out once he was far enough away from the camp. There was no response for several seconds before a silver-haired man whose face was concealed by a dog-like mask appeared about ten feet in front of Shinta.

"I'm impressed; not many people are able to detect me."

"Uzumakis are some of the best sensors around; or at least we were."

"Fair point," the dog-masked man nodded in agreement.

"What do you want?" Shinta demanded with narrowed eyes as he placed his hand on the hilt of his katana.

"Woah, calm down; I don't mean any harm," the man answered with his hands raised in surrender.

"I know you've been keeping an eye on the kid for months now, so I'll ask one more time; what do you want?" The silver-haired man sighed in response as he removed his dog mask to reveal the cloth facemask beneath with his headband concealing his left eye.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake," the now-named Kakashi introduced himself with a nod of his head. "Naruto's father was my jounin sensei and was like a father to me before his passing. I look at Naruto as a little brother so I try to keep an eye on him when I'm not on a mission."

"Have you ever even **met** your so called 'little brother'?" Shinta asked with a stoic expression.

"No…" Kakashi answered with a downcast expression.

"What a great brother," the redhead answered sarcastically as he walked past the silver-haired man to the nearby stream. Kakashi continued to stare at the ground with a thoughtful gaze as Shinta threw the occasional senbon when a fish would jump pinning them to various trees. Once he had caught a decent amount, he collected the fish and started making his way back toward the clearing. Turning his head once he reached the tree-line, he addressed Kakashi who was still standing in the same spot with a thoughtful expression.

"You coming?" The sudden question seemed to rouse the man from his thoughts as he looked up to see the redhead seemingly waiting for him. Deciding that he had put meeting the son of his sensei off for far too long, he followed after the red-haired man. The two of them walked in silence all the way to the camp where they found Naruto finishing up his cool down exercises.

"Welcome back, oji; who's this?" Naruto asked once he noticed Kakashi.

"Hello, Naruto-kun. My name is Kakashi Hatake; it's nice to meet you."

"Aren't you that dog masked guy who follows me around sometimes?" Naruto asked earning a smirk from Shinta while Kakashi's visible eye widened in surprise. Kakashi cleared his throat once he got over his initial surprise.

"I guess I shouldn't really be surprised that you noticed me, but you're right; I'm a member of the ANBU."

"What's ANBU?" Naruto asked with a frown having never heard of the organization.

"The ANsatsu BUtai black ops. They're the people who handle the more difficult and shady missions of the village; and they're **supposed** to keep their true identities secret," Shinta explained with narrowed eyes earning an indifferent shrug and "meh" from Kakashi in response.

"So the ANBU are the strongest people in the village?"

"Not necessarily; though it **is** true that many of the village's strongest shinobi have at one point or another been involved with ANBU," Kakashi answered causing Naruto to look at him with a star-struck expression.

"That's so cool! I wanna become the strongest ANBU ever!" Naruto yelled excitedly.

"Are you sure, Naruto?" Shinta asked with a frown. "If you join ANBU you'll be doing mostly infiltration, torture, interrogation and assassination missions; they're known as the 'dark side' of shinobi for a reason."

"If that's what it takes then so be it," Naruto answered with a determined expression. Shinta eyed him carefully for several seconds before sighing.

"Very well; if that's your decision, I won't stop you."

"Why don't you go get us some water to boil for the tea, Naruto-kun," Kakashi suggested with his signature eye smile earning a nod from Naruto before he grabbed the kettle and ran off to fill it.

"Are you sure it was wise to tell him about ANBU?" Shinta asked once Naruto was out of earshot. Kakashi adopted a serious expression as he crossed his arms and leaned against a tree.

"We've been keeping an eye on him as a potential recruit since he joined the academy; my keeping tabs on him has been for more than just the fact he's sensei's son."

"This doesn't have anything to do with him being a jinchuuriki does it?" Shinta asked with a glare.

"Honestly, the commander doesn't care about that; otherwise he would've tried to recruit Kushina," Kakashi waved him off. "The main things we look for in recruits are personality and potential; beneath his façade, Naruto is an ideal candidate. And as much as I hate to admit it, him being an orphan is also a factor."

Shinta wore a thoughtful frown as he prepped the fish he had caught before skewering them on sticks and placing them around the fire he had made. "Very well; if this is something he still wishes to do when he comes of age, I won't stand in his way."

"Don't worry; I'll keep an eye on him until I believe he can handle himself."

"You damn well better," Shinta glared as he tightened his grip on his katana. "We'll talk about this later."

"Here's the water," Naruto said as he reentered the clearing with the kettle. Shinta nodded as he took the kettle and placed it over the fire. Once the fish and tea were prepared, the trio gathered around the fire for their light lunch. Once Naruto had finished, Shinta ordered him to practice his calligraphy. He continued his calligraphy for the next two hours while Shinta filled Kakashi in on what he had taught Naruto to this point. Kakashi interjected every now and then, but for the most part listened to the redhead's story.

"That's enough, Naruto; make fifty clones to practice your fuinjutsu and chakra control while you get back to your katas."

"Yes, sensei," Naruto nodded before doing as he was instructed.

* * *

[3 Years Later]

A now 11-year-old Naruto could be seen standing before a freshly dug grave as rain continued to shower him as if the heavens were weeping with him. The grave was marked by a crudely made cross consisting of two large branches tied together and surrounded by several large rocks. Buried beneath the dirt was the closest thing Naruto had ever had to a father; Shinta Uzumaki.

Over the last three years, Naruto had undergone more intensive training which was further compounded by the addition of Kakashi joining in whenever he wasn't on a mission. Shortly after their initial meeting, Kakashi had given the young blond a piece of chakra paper to test his elemental affinity. To his surprise, the paper split in half showing he had a wind affinity which was quite rare in the land of fire. Another surprise was when it was revealed he also had a fire affinity; while having two affinities wasn't that uncommon, it was the strength of his affinity that was surprising as the two halves of the chakra paper burst into flames.

From that point, Shinta let Kakashi take over his ninjutsu training while he focused on Naruto's fuinjutsu and kenjutsu. Things had been going quite well until about six months ago when Shinta developed a cough. At first, they wrote it off as a normal cough; but when he started coughing up blood, it became apparent that it was not quite that simple. After Kakashi took Shinta to the hospital for an examination, it was determined that he had tuberculosis which, unfortunately, was beyond their ability to treat. They both decided it was for the best not to tell Naruto the truth and played it off as just a chronic cough.

Shinta and Kakashi had continued to train Naruto as normal for the next six months leading up to the red-haired Uzumaki's death. Things had gone well in the boy's training with him being none the wiser until about a week before Shinta's death. At that point, Kakashi had decided to take Naruto out of the village under the guise of a "mission". By the time they had returned…Shinta was dead. Kakashi decided he would give the boy time to grieve and left to report to the hokage.

* * *

[2 Hours Later]

Kakashi returned to the clearing to find Naruto standing before the grave that he had apparently made with the rain masking the tears flowing freely from his eyes.

"You knew didn't you?" Naruto asked to seemingly no one until Kakashi appeared in a shunshin.

"Yes…" he answered somberly making Naruto grit his teeth.

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Shinta and I both thought it would be better if you didn't know; he didn't want to ruin what little time you had left together." Naruto understood the decision not to tell him, but he still didn't like that he was lied to by the people closest to him. Naruto spent several minutes staring at the grave in silence with Kakashi standing dutifully beside him paying his own respects.

"Kakashi-nii…" Naruto finally spoke as he turned to the silver-haired man. "I want to spend my last year of the academy training by myself." Whatever Kakashi had been expecting, that certainly wasn't it.

"If that's what you want," Kakashi shrugged before reaching into his pouch and pulling out a scroll that he tossed to Naruto who caught it with a questioning look.

"What's this?"

"Think of it as an early birthday present from Shinta," the cycloptic jounin told him making Naruto look over the scroll in reverence. "See ya around, Naruto; don't slack off." Kakashi said with a lazy wave as he walked away. Naruto returned the wave as he watched his surrogate brother leave. Once he was out of sight, Naruto moved into the little shack he had spent much of his time in over the last five years and opened the scroll which turned out to be a letter with two storage seals at the bottom. Ignoring the storage seals for now, Naruto began reading the letter.

* * *

Dear Naruto,

First off, I want to say I'm sorry for lying to you about my illness; I didn't want to distract you from your training or fret about something that was inevitable. I understand if you are unable to forgive me, but don't hold it against that lazy bastard Kakashi; it was my idea to hide it from you.

Inside of the seals at the bottom of this letter are my final gifts to you. One contains the last of the books I have on fuinjutsu as well as all of my personal notes on fuinjutsu and kenjutsu. The other scroll contains one of the artifacts of our clan that I managed to recover from Uzushiogakure; it's called the "Dragon Sword". I'll have to leave discovering its capabilities to you; I never personally wielded it.

Remember everything I taught you about our clan. Family comes first; even before your loyalty to the village. Find someone precious to you and give everything you have to protect them; you need to do your best to restore our clan after all.

Take care of yourself, brat; I'm proud of you.

-Shinta Uzumaki

* * *

Water droplets could be seen scattered across the letter as tears continued to drip down Naruto's face. Naruto was more determined now than ever to do his best to help restore the Uzumaki clan. He would take a break from training for a few days to mourn, but after that he would redouble his efforts to master his family's teachings and become a legend throughout the shinobi world.

After that day, Kakashi would show up on occasion to check on him and have the occasional spar, but mostly left the young blond to his own devices.

* * *

[Present Day]

Team 7 could currently be seen making their way to the hokage's office having just completed their first D-rank mission.

"How is pulling weeds considered a mission?" Sasuke asked with his displeasure clearly visible on his face.

"Seriously; you could at least let me use shadow clones to help out," Naruto voiced his agreement with his raven-haired teammate.

"If I let you use clones it would defeat the purpose of these missions," Kakashi explained with his ever-present orange book in his hand.

"And what purpose would that be; driving us crazy with cheap manual labor for lazy civilians?" Naruto deadpanned earning nods of agreement from his teammates.

"No, it's to help build teamwork."

"And how exactly does pulling weeds 'help build teamwork'?"

"…"

"…"

"…I don't know?" Kakashi answered with a nervous sweat.

"Thank you for proving my point," Naruto answered dryly.

"Are there any requirements for us to take C-rank missions?" Sasuke asked.

"Technically no," Kakashi answered with a thoughtful frown. "All you really need is a recommendation from your jounin sensei stating that you're ready."

"So if you told the hokage you thought we were ready for a C-rank mission, we wouldn't have to do anymore glorified chores disguised as missions?" Naruto asked not-so-subtly hinting at what he wanted.

"Yes?"

"Let's get going then; I'm not wasting any more time on these chores," Sasuke cut in voicing his own desire to get into C-rank missions.

"I think you two are getting ahead of yourselves; I never said I thought you were ready or that I would request a C-rank mission."

"So are you saying you don't think we could handle a C-rank mission?" Naruto asked with narrowed eyes.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"I'll talk to Hokage-sama."

* * *

A/N: To those who didn't know who Shinta was, especially those of you who are fans of Rurouni Kenshin, I highly recommend you watch "Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal". To this day, it is still one of my favorite anime movies of all time. It details the early years of Kenshin when he was known as Hitokiri Battousai during the Meiji Revolution and the story of how he obtained his famous cross-shaped scar.

Ages:

Naruto-12

Tenten-13

Yugao-21

As always, thanks for reading.


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